Love and War
by Staynobloom
Summary: Tashigi is kidnapped and held hostage by Monet during the events of Punk Hazard. Can she escape unharmed, or will she end up falling for her captor? [One Piece Yuri]
1. Chapter 1

Tashigi knew things like this could happen. Total disaster had been looming all along, in her life of sailing the Grand Line chasing pirates. Now it had finally met her, all the way in the New World. It seemed as though her whole life before becoming a marine had been people warning her about the dangers of the sea, and discouraging her from pursuing it. For a woman to join the military of the world government, during the great age of pirates... it was unthinkable!

Sure, there were strong, capable women in this world too, but so many of them were powerful devil fruit users, like Captain Hina, or natural masters of haki. Tashigi wasn't like them. She'd always done her best to be a brave marine, but a part of her had always been vulnerable and scared. Because beneath everything, she was a normal, human woman; and the world of pirates and marines, the endless struggle for power over this world, was a man's game.

More often than not, she felt in over her head trying to play in this game. Not only as a woman, but as that normal human with no special abilities or natural talents; she only had the art of swordsmanship, and a fleeting grasp of haki. And though Tashigi was an adept swordsman, even that had never come natural to her; she was a bit of a klutz and blind as a bat without her glasses. Not exactly good traits for an aspiring swordsman.

She had always tried to overcome her limitations by training harder than anyone else, but even then, men would always have an advantage over her in terms of natural physical strength. Being a woman in this world had always been her cross to bear; a longing, secret struggle she had always been fighting in her own heart. And so many people had discouraged her from becoming a marine as a woman, because _things like this could happen_. That's what they all said. It's dangerous on this sea in the great age of pirates. And now Tashigi had been kidnapped by a pirate.

The Grand Line was indeed a dangerous place. And the New World even more so. Tashigi and Vice-Admiral Smoker had just arrived to that notorious 2nd half of the Grand Line, pursuing the Straw Hat pirates into the New World, and already she had been beaten. She hadn't even lasted a day in the New World, and was now being held prisoner in a room at the top of a tall tower on Punk Hazard. And worse, it wasn't even a man who had beaten and captured her. It was a female pirate. She wasn't even strong enough to win against other women in the New World.

She had been defeated by a very tough opponent: a monstrous harpy woman named Monet... a terrifying creature, with terrifying powers, yes, but undoubtedly a woman, and a pirate. Monet was a logia devil fruit user with snow powers; the fight had been a chance for Tashigi to test her newly found haki abilities against a logia user, but she only came up short. Her sword-play and color of arms were no match for Monet's ripping fangs and sharp talons and icy magic powers.

Her whole arm had nearly been bitten off at the shoulder in the harpy's unrelenting jaws. She had screamed, dropped her sword, and fallen down in a pool of her own blood on the snow... and then blacked out and woke up hours later locked away somewhere. Utterly defeated. More than just physically painful, it was humiliating.

She almost wished she had been killed during the fight instead of being taken as a hostage. What she hated most was that Smoker would probably have to rescue her again. She just wanted to prove herself to him, as her superior officer, and earn his respect. To prove herself to all of them; anyone who said this sea was too dangerous for a woman like her.

To prove that she was a worthy and capable marine, a great swordsman, and not just that klutzy damsel in distress who needed to be protected and rescued all the time. But now it all seemed so futile.

The room in the tower where Tashigi was now being kept wasn't entirely awful, however, all things considered. Prison conditions could be much worse than this, Tashigi knew, for a pirate hostage or a pirate. This was no Impel Down. The place where she was being kept was Monet's personal roost; a room in the top of the highest tower over the factory buildings on Punk Hazard.

The outer edges of the room were surrounded with branches and large twigs, that jutted out of the walls and wrapped around the whole top of the tower like a giant bird's nest. But the rest of the room was mostly a normal bedroom; there was a large bed where Tashigi currently sat waiting, which had soft white blankets, and felt as though was entirely stuffed with feathers, from the mattress to the pillows. There was a desk at the other end of the room, covered in stacks of old newspapers, and some parchment and ink bottles, and a large, holstered quill pen that looked like it had been plucked right from Monet's own wing.

There was a bookshelf against one wall. Tashigi had been passing the time so far reading Monet's books, and there were actually some quite interesting ones that were perhaps unique to the New World; history books about Elbaf and Wano Country, even some science and technology books by Dr. Vegapunk that seemed to be very recent publications.

There was a normal bathroom and shower in a connecting room that she could use, too. She was free to walk around as much as she wanted, and wasn't even chained or handcuffed in anyway. The problem was there wasn't any sort of normal exit to the room at all, only a large window that Monet came in and out of, which Tashigi realized made sense for Monet since she could fly.

The window wasn't even locked either, but that didn't matter. She was at least a hundred feet in the air and was a normal human without powers or any way to get down on her own. She had tried, during her first few hours awake here, opening the window and calling for help as loud as she could, but to no avail. Up in the howling wind and whipping snow, she couldn't be heard or seen at all. It just made things all the more distressing for her.

How would anyone even find her here, then? Smoker could fly too with his ability, but was he even looking for her? Was he okay? Surely he hadn't been defeated too. And the Straw Hat pirates were here too... part of her secretly wished the Straw Hat pirates would rescue her instead of Smoker, so she wouldn't have to face the shame of being saved by her fellow marines. Maybe Roranoara Zoro... even that cook, Blackfoot Sanji had saved her before from Vergo.

Whatever was happening on this island, once again the Straw Hats, and Smoker and Tashigi, seemed to be pitted against the same enemy. It was that damned harpy, Monet. Tashigi longed to kill her now.

She thought about what she might be able to do against Monet in her current state. No sword, injured... Monet would tear her to shreds. Tashigi sighed, defeated, and stared out of the window at the falling snow. The wounds from where she had been bitten before on her shoulder and leg were still aching. It was almost dark outside now. She had been brought here the previous day, and now another entire day had almost passed with no sign of rescue.

Monet had explained that it would be beneficial to her and Cesar to keep Tashigi as a potential bargaining chip with the marines in case things went bad.

And she'd flown out of the window sometime yesterday and hadn't returned since. Maybe the fight was already over, Tashigi thought with some hope. Perhaps Monet and Vergo and Cesar had already been defeated. They were up against both Smoker and all of the Straw Hat pirates after all.

Surely it was only a matter of time. Tashigi nodded and tried to reassure herself of that. Yes, any moment now help would be coming and she would get out of this okay. But she waited, and waited, and waited... and nothing happened. Several more quiet hours passed, and eventually Tashigi dozed off...

She awoke to the sound of the window flying open and whistling, frigid wind coming through. Monet's frightening silhouette appeared from the darkness, gliding into the room with wisps of snow following her. Tashigi immediately sat up and felt for her glasses on the nightstand beside the bed. The monstrous harpy creature had returned, and was now standing near the window with her large wingspan spread, shaking snow from her feathers onto the floor. Tashigi felt the need to reach for her sword, to defend herself, but there was no sword at her side now.

"Did I wake you?" Monet asked casually. She turned to close the window behind her, and the cold sting of the wind evaporated from the room and it became quiet again. "You don't need to get up on my account. You can go back to sleep... it's quite late you know."

Tashigi stirred and adjusted her glasses. She was wide awake now and on guard. Though Monet was speaking so casually and seemingly being polite, there was such a sense of malice in her tone; a self-satisfied confidence, like she knew she had already won, and that Tashigi was no threat to her, and she was free to toy with her and talk down to her.

"Where is Vice-Admiral Smoker?" Tashigi demanded. "What are you planning to do with me?"

Monet didn't answer. She just gave a cocky smile and begin walking slowly toward the bed, her sharp talons clicking on the floor with every step. Tashigi lay half sitting up now, watching cautiously as the looming harpy made her way closer and closer to the bed. Monet was also carrying a small bag with her, Tashigi noticed, which she set down on the foot of the bed upon arriving there.

"What are you-" Tashigi began, but Monet cut her off.

"Relax. You're still a hostage for now, and you're going to be here a while it looks like." She began rifling around through the bag. "Those silly pirate boys are still fighting down there, and reinforcements will be coming from Dressrosa soon, so who knows what will happen."

She stopped going through the bag and looked up at Tashigi for a moment, whose face now looked quite worried. Monet gave another cocky smile.

"Doflamingo is coming himself to deal with Trafalgar Law and Straw Hat Luffy. Maybe your little marines too if they get in his way. I might be keeping you as my pet for a long time to come, so you should get used to it."

Tashigi's heart dropped. _Doflamingo... the shichibukai? _What exactly was going on here? _And keeping me as her _pet_!?_ The situation now seemed more dire than Tashigi had anticipated. She gritted her teeth.

"Why don't you just kill me then?" Tashigi snapped. "Why are you keeping me like this?"

"My, my, come now, don't be so eager to die. You're weak, but you are a high ranking marine. You're quite a valuable hostage for us."

Tashigi frowned. Being called weak was like a punch to the stomach. Especially being said so matter-of-factly like Monet had, and not as some kind of attempt at an insult. If only she had her sword now... she would definitely try to fight again. But perhaps that would be of no use either. She winced and grasped her shoulder. It was hurting even more now than before she had gone to sleep. She doubted she could even swing a sword in her current condition.

"Does it hurt still?" Monet asked.

Tashigi didn't answer, just glared at Monet defiantly.

"Well I brought some medicine to treat your wounds." She began laying out the contents of the bag onto the bed: anti-septic spray, rolls of gauze and bandages, and various plant salves rolled up in a cloth strap.

"So you nearly bite my arm and leg off, and now you're going to treat me?" Tashigi said.

"That's right. You're no use to me injured or dead. I don't need you getting an infection somewhere down the line and losing a limb. That would just be more trouble for me, wouldn't it?"

Tashigi didn't respond. Monet smiled.

"Besides, you're the one who went swinging that sword at me," Monet went on. She put her wings on her hips and stared down at Tashigi like a teacher scolding a misbehaving student. "And using haki to cut me? Tsk, tsk. You know, it's been a long time since I've been injured in battle. I really am surprised someone so weak can use haki. I had to defend myself."

"You attacked me first!" Tashigi snapped. _Weak, _she said it again! She really hated this evil bird woman even more now.

Monet shrugged her wings. "I attacked you, you attacked me. You're a marine, I'm a pirate. Does it really matter anyway?"

Tashigi shook her head. "All's fair in war, I suppose, isn't it? To a pirate?" She was glaring at Monet now with all of her hatred, just wishing she could bestow the marine's justice.

"All's fair in _love _and war," Monet said with a smile. "Isn't that how the saying goes?"

Tashigi looked down and didn't answer. There was a tense silence where Monet just stared at Tashigi from the foot of the bed. Tashigi found herself unable to make eye-contact. She realized as brave as she was trying to be right now, this harpy pirate woman still totally scared her. Her swordsmanship had been no match for this woman. She remembered the razor sharp teeth tearing into her, the monstrous form Monet had taken on in battle, and the utter helplessness of being completely over-powered by a stronger opponent.

"Now take off your clothes," Monet suddenly said, breaking the silence. Tashigi looked up now, feeling her face immediately flush red and hot.

"W-what?" she stammered.

Monet let out a small laugh and pointed at Tashigi. "Damn, your face just turned completely red!" she covered her mouth with her other wing that wasn't pointing and laughed some more. "For a marine, you sure are girly."

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Tashigi demanded, her face still red and voice shaking now. _Take off my clothes!? Is she going to...? _This was exactly the sort of thing people said would happen to a female marine. But she didn't think a lady pirate would try to do something like _that _to her.

"Oh don't flatter yourself," Monet said, her wings on her hips and face scrunched in disgust now. "I just need to treat your wounds, remember? I'm not a man you know. I'm not going to rape you or anything." Then after some thought, she brought a wing up to her chin in a thoughtful way and added, mostly to herself, "I suppose I might kill you though. Hmm, is that worse?"

Tashigi breathed a sigh of, at least partial, relief. True, it was better if she was going to be kidnapped to be kidnapped by a female pirate.

"It's your leg and your shoulder right?" Monet said after some silence. "Where I bit you?" She sounded a bit more cordial now, Tashigi noticed. As though she really did want to help treat her and wasn't just making fun of her.

"Yes," Tashigi answered meekly.

"Take off your shirt and your pants." She sounded stern and serious now, and stood with her wings crossed over her chest in an authoritative manner.

This was all business to her now, Tashigi sensed. But she still couldn't bare to make eye-contact, or take off her clothes like she had been told. Tashigi was still a virgin at 23, and had never undressed in front of anyone. Not in an informal sense anyway. Only in front of navy doctors for her physicals. Even if this was purely medical too, it seemed so informal and too real.

"I promise I'm not going to look at your body or anything," Monet said, rolling her eyes. Tashigi was still blushing, and now fumbling with her hands in her lap, unable to look up. Monet pouted her lips in a frown and pointed toward Tashigi. "What a dumb marine girl. You really are immature and innocent aren't you? What was the navy thinking sending a soft little thing like you to the New World?"

"I... I chose to come," Tashigi answered, staring at her fumbling hands in her lap.

"That was a stupid decision!" Monet snapped. "Wanted to prove yourself as a woman, huh? Wanted to prove you could be just as good as the boys?"

Tashigi frowned and looked away.

"I'll bet your superiors treat you like a lady and call you something like _little miss_, don't they?"

Tashigi looked shocked and her eyes shot up to look at Monet. And her face was now even redder than before.

"No! Nobody calls me that!" she protested, but didn't sound convincing at all. _Little miss! _Was this bird woman psychic too, or was her nickname that obvious?

Monet covered her mouth and let out a small laugh. "I was spying on your ship as soon as you landed," she explained. "Us harpies have really good hearing you know. I heard your Vice-Admiral call you that, and saw you get all flustered."

Tashigi gritted her teeth. Damn her. She was back to making fun of her again. This was so humiliating, and this evil bird was enjoying every minute of it.

"You may have beaten me, and you may be right that I'm just a weak woman, but you're going pay for this eventually!" Tashigi snapped. "You won't get away with kidnapping and bullying a marine you know. You're going to face the true justice soon enough." Her voice was shaking, and she was still blushing, but she didn't care anymore. She couldn't wait to see this low-life pirate taken down, and really hoped Vice-Admiral Smoker would come soon.

Monet didn't look phased at all, however, only more amused. "Okay, little miss, calm down. I really shouldn't have teased you so much, huh? Didn't know you marines could be so sensitive."

Tashigi said nothing, just continued to stare defiantly at her captor. She was still scared but able to make eye contact now and at the very least stand up for herself again.

Monet walked around the side of the bed and came and stood at the side of the bed over Tashigi, looking down at her for a while. It made Tashigi feel quite nervous. What was she planning now? _Is she going to punish me for yelling at her like that_? _Is she going to hurt me again? _Instead, Monet sat down on the bed next to Tashigi.

"I know how you feel you know," she said with a much softer tone now. "Even though I'm a pirate, I'm a woman too, just like you."

Tashigi leaned away from her. Where was she going with this?

Monet continued, "This awful world we're in is the will of men, isn't it?"

Tashigi was taken aback. Was she being genuine now, or was this more teasing? Why was she sitting so close?

"Us girls who choose to fight have to do what we can, right?"

Tashigi looked surprised. "I... suppose so, yes," she answered cautiously, surprised by Monet's sudden warmth, still unsure what to make of this. Monet patted Tashigi on the shoulder with her wing.

"Love and war and all of that, right?"

"...Yeah..." Tashigi said slowly. She looked at Monet who was smiling at her. They stayed like that, looking at each other in a silence for a while.

Then, "Seriously though, undress and let me treat you now."

Monet gave Tashigi a pat on the head and then stood off the bed and went to her desk. Once there, she got her signature big swirly glasses from one of the drawers, put them on, and turned to walk toward Tashigi again. Those glasses really did look silly, but Tashigi didn't want to laugh at her or anything. She just thought, _She wears glasses too... _and touched her own frames.

"Okay," Monet said, standing over the medical supplies. "Let's get you patched up." She smiled. Tashigi felt her face turn red again.


	2. Chapter 2

Monet stood over Tashigi at the side of the bed, waiting for her to disrobe. She was starting to think this little marine girl would never take off her clothes. Boy was she an aggravating hostage in that regard. So shy and demanding, even in such a vulnerable position! She was a cute one though... for a marine anyway. And it was pretty fun teasing her.

Monet was actually quite looking forward to getting her new little pet naked. It surprised her when she realized that. It had dawned on her the first time Tashigi blushed when being asked to undress... she was actually _eager_ to see this girl strip. Strange. Maybe it was just fun having a hostage and being the one in control.

Usually Monet had to take orders, being a subordinate of Doflamingo. It was nice being in charge for once. And Tashigi's shy, flustered reactions were so priceless. Were all navy women so dainty and shy? Pirate women were such scum. It was kind of refreshing being around a girl like Tashigi. Monet was beginning to hope this little pirate battle wouldn't end too soon, and Doflamingo would take his time getting here. Yes, she was quite enjoying toying with her new prey.

"You can go ahead," Monet said with a small, satisfied smile, staring a hole through Tashigi now, waiting for the clothes to start coming off. _Yes take them off, little girl_. _I'm in charge now! _

"Can you at least turn around while I'm undressing?" Tashigi asked, blushing. "You're staring..."

Monet shrugged. "What's the point of that? I'll have to turn around again and look anyway to treat you."

"It's still more embarrassing to have you watching me undress."

Monet let out a sigh and crossed her wings over her chest. "Fine, fine." _This girl, I swear._ She turned her back to Tashigi. "You sure are shy, aren't you, little miss?"

"No... and don't call me that!" Tashigi began unbuttoning her shirt.

"Is it really such a big deal for another woman to see you in your underwear?" Monet asked. "It's not like I'm trying to perv on you or something here. I'm a girl too."

"Well..." Tashigi started. She had her top fully off now and was only wearing a bra. She looked down at her body and covered her chest with her arms. "I'm not used to being seen like this. By anyone."

"Oh? What about that Smoker guy? I thought he was like your lover or something."

"No!" Tashigi snapped, her face flushed. "He's my superior officer. I-I would never engage in something so unprofessional."

"Right, right. You marines and your justice," Monet's tone sounded like she was rolling her eyes. And she was tapping one of her talons on the floor impatiently now. "It must get to be tiring trying to be so righteous all the time, huh?"

"It's certainly better than being a pirate, who _kidnaps_ people."

Monet let out an audible, exaggerated yawn. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Tashigi who was half way into pulling her pants off around her ankles. "You done yet?"

"Don't look!" Tashigi recoiled, nearly falling off the bed tripping over her own pants in a scramble to cover herself up.

Monet turned back around. "Okay, okay, damn. You do realize I'm going to have to look eventually, right?"

"Yeah but I told you not to look while I'm undressing!"

"You're not giving the orders here you know, little miss. I'm not one of your little marines that you can boss around you know. Just because I'm being nice now, don't think I won't kill you if your attitude isn't kept in order."

"I know," Tashigi said weakly. "It's just embarrassing for me, okay?"

Monet said nothing, just grinned with her back still turned. _Is she just _trying _to be cute now to make me feel sorry for her?,_ Monet pondered, with the tip of her wing to her chin. _Ahh, well I think it's working. Not a bad strategy for her. _There was a long silence for a while, but for the clacking of Monet tapping her talon on the floor, waiting, ever more impatient.

"Done yet?" Monet asked finally, sounding thoroughly fed up with waiting.

"F-fine, I'm done..." Tashigi cooed. "You can... turn around now."

Monet turned and her eyes immediately locked on Tashigi, scanning her up and down with wide, elated eyes. No mercy at all, she had waited long enough and was going to have a good look, dammit. Tashigi was sitting on the bed in her bra and panties, her hands making a futile attempt to cover herself up, her face more red than Monet had seen it so far.

Then after eyeing Tashigi up enough, "Nice undies," Monet said dryly with a short grin, and then headed to the the foot of the bed to get the medical supplies.

"You don't have to comment on it!" Tashigi whined, curling up into a ball and covering her beat red face with her hands.

Monet let out a light laugh. _This really is fun. If she's trying to be cute for me, it's totally working. _She glanced up at Tashigi again as she gathered up the medicine. _Is it bad that I'm starting to feel bad for this silly marine girl? _Monet wondered if she actually would be able to kill Tashigi now if she had to. She was such a dainty, non-threat, it was actually kind of sad. And now she was sitting in her underwear looking like she wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Poor girl. 

"Okay, enough playing around," Monet said. "Come over here." She sat down on the side of the bed and patted it to beckon Tashigi. "Sit with your back to me, and let me look at your shoulder first."

Reluctantly, Tashigi uncurled herself and did as she was told. She crawled on her hands and knees across the covers to where Monet was sitting at the edge of the bed. She turned and sat with her back to Monet as she had been instructed to.

Monet looked over Tashigi's shoulders and back. Her skin was pretty and pale as porcelain, and her body was emitting so much heat that Monet could feel. Because of her snow powers, Monet was very sensitive to such warmth. There were a few little freckles along Tashigi's shoulders and upper back, too, which Monet took note of. It was strangely fascinating, she realized: getting a woman undressed and checking out her body up close like this. When was the last time she had been this intimate with another person? This was new for Monet too. _Wait, am I perving afer all? _She suddenly wondered.

She really was enjoying this. It was probably normal, though, she told herself. Women are soft and beautiful, and Tashigi was a pretty, dainty little marine girl. It was surely normal to be curious and perv a _little, _even as a woman. Monet then turned her attention to the wound. She gently touched it and winced a bit. She had done this, she realized.

"Wow, I really got you good, huh?" Monet said, rubbing the large gash on Tashigi's shoulder with her wing.

Tashigi tensed at the touch. "I thought you were going to bite my arm off."

"In all honesty I was trying," Monet said. "You know, you're actually kind of tough all things considered."

Tashigi turned now and looked at Monet, her face surprised. "I thought you said I was weak..."

Monet smiled. "Weaker than me, sure. But you have to be pretty strong to take my bite and still be fully in tact."

Tashigi looked down, and her eyes seemed to be sparkling a bit, Monet noticed. Did it make her happy to be acknowledged as strong? She _had_ been pretty hard on her with the teasing and taunting before...

Now Monet wasn't teasing at all, but gently stroking Tashigi's wounded shoulder with her wing, in a nurturing sort of way. It really was strange; she felt bad now for having hurt Tashigi. Damn cute marine girl, making her feel pity! And it was strange as well, to have been once locked in such fierce battle with this girl, fangs ripping into this very shoulder, and now to be sitting with her in such a gentle way, nurturing and treating a wound she'd made herself. But, in a way, it was also thrilling. It was egotistical. It made Monet feel powerful.

_Maybe I'm just a sadist, _Monet pondered, stroking the wound with the soft touch of her feathers. _Or maybe just lonely. _She was starting to wonder what really had compelled her to kidnap Tashigi. These feelings were so new, and complicated.

One part of her wanted nothing more than to tease and bully Tashigi for being a stupid, shy marine girl, and to revel in that power of being in charge. But another part of her felt pity, and a certain kinship even, as two women in this man's world of fighting and violence, who had collided by pure circumstance.

She knew could have killed Tashigi if she had really wanted to. She knew she had held back. This was what she'd wanted. To _take _her. And this was the first time since coming to Punk Hazard that she'd had another person in her room, in her _bed._ Maybe being alone all the time wasn't normal.

But that was a life at sea, as a pirate. Funny how you could have all of your nakama, and always be fighting together, and never really be _alone _when you're a part of a crew, but still wholly lack such simple intimacy like just sitting close to someone and trying to make them feel better. You had to be tough and cool all the time when you were a part of Doflamingo's crew. And right now, sitting with Tashigi, pitying her, and wanting to treat her wound, Monet realized that her cool pirate facade had completely fallen away. _Dammit, _she shook her head. _What am I thinking?_

"This will help," Monet said, retrieving a small plant from the cloth strap on the bed.

"What is it?" Tashigi asked cautiously.

"South Blue White-Vain. This is a miracle plant for treating open wounds like this. The salve will heal it pretty quickly, but you will definitely have a scar. Something to remember me by."

Tashigi frowned.

Monet crushed up the plant in a small ceramic bowl, mixed it with water to make a paste, then dipped the tip of her wing into it.

"Okay, this _is _going to sting a bit, so brace yourself," Monet warned.

"It's going to hurt?" Tashigi asked, sounding frightened.

"Here," Monet said, offering Tashigi her other wing. "I'll take your hand. Just squeeze my wing if it hurts too much."

Tashigi looked at the offered wing, her face uncertain and taken aback. Then she grabbed onto it and held it tight, in a quick way that seemed to say "fine I'll do this, but I'm not happy about it"

Monet smiled and gave Tashigi's hand a gentle squeeze. Then she applied the paste in a big glob to Tashigi's shoulder with her other wing. Tashigi's whole body tensed up and she let out a loud cry.

"Hey, hey, you're okay," Monet said, holding tight to Tashigi's shoulder with one wing, and onto her hand with the other. Tashigi had that other wing in a death grip now.

"Ahh that really hurts!" Tashigi whined in agony.

"I know it does," Monet said in a very calm, motherly tone. "It's already done now, see?" She removed her wing from Tashigi's shoulder.

Tashigi was still wincing and squeezing Monet's wing hard.

"How long is going to sting?" Tashigi begged, her eyes welling up now. "It feels like my whole body is on fire."

"Just a few minutes and it will stop. You're doing really good, okay?" Monet gave Tashigi's back a little rub now in a gesture of reassurance. She stayed like that for a while, holding Tashigi's hand and rubbing her back until Tashigi began to calm down as the pain subsided.

"I think it's getting better now..." Tashigi said, though she was still breathing hard.

"Here there are some tissues in the bag," Monet said, reaching into the medicine bag and pulling out a tissue. "Turn towards me." And she grabbed Tashigi's face and turned it. Her face was red and somewhat wet with tears, and her glasses were a bit foggy. _Poor baby, _Monet thought.

"I wasn't crying," Tashigi said. "It was just reflexive tears, because of the pain."

"I know," Monet said, and she began blotting Tashigi's cheeks with the tissue. "You were a very tough girl. Taking that type of salve on an open wound with no numbing agent is very painful."

Then Monet snatched Tashigi's glasses from her face.

"Hey!" Tashigi protested, fumbling to try and take them back, but Monet held them up high out of her reach, and gave her a little teasing smile.

"Relax, I'm just going to clean them. They got foggy because you were crying."

"I told you, I wasn't crying! And please be careful with those, I can't see at all without them!"

Monet continued holding the glasses over Tashigi's head. Tashigi's face was priceless. She really hated having her glasses taken like this. Plus she was pretty cute without them, and cute when crying too. _Dammit, now I want to bully her again!_ For a moment, Monet considered breaking the glasses right in front of her. _If she couldn't see, then she'd totally have to rely on me. She'd be my complete slave at that point. _But really she couldn't bare to do that, not with how vulnerable and pathetic Tashigi already looked, her eyes all red and puffy from crying, and still sitting here in just her undies. Monet brought the glasses down and gently rubbed the lenses clean with the tissue.

"Can I have them back now?" Tashigi asked, still pouting.

"Here," Monet said, turning the glasses around then holding them up to Tashigi's eye-line. "Keep your face still."

Tashigi blushed when she realized what Monet was trying to do.

"That's okay, I can put them on myself!" Tashigi protested.

"No, no, no," Monet said. "You're still hurt. You don't need to strain yourself at all. Just hold still and I'll put them on for you."

Tashigi's face was now fully red again. "What if you break them or something...?"

"I wear glasses too you know," Monet said, pointing to her own big swirly glasses she had on. "I think I can manage to put a pair on you without any trouble."

"Fine..." Tashigi yielded. "Just be careful with them..." She then closed her eyes and lifted her chin, like someone waiting to be kissed. "Go ahead..."

Monet was taken aback. Now she could feel her own face beginning to flush. This girl really was trying to be cute on purpose, wasn't she? Monet collected herself and managed to play it cool. Slowly, she began lowering the glasses toward Tashigi's face...

_Gently, gently now... _Monet found that her wings were shaking as they got closer and closer to Tashigi. This really was intimate, wasn't it? _Ahh, why am I getting so flustered by this? _Monet stopped, closed her eyes and took a breath._ I'm just putting her glasses on. Snap out it, Monet. _She figured she really must have been lonely lately if this was flustering her so much.

Then her mind began to wander. _I wonder if she'd let me dress her after this too... _And the thought of that _really _flustered Monet. She had to immediately clear it from her thoughts just so she could concentrate. She shook her head, steadied her wings the best she could and continued moving the glasses onto Tashigi's face. When the ends of the glasses touched the tops of Tashigi's ears, Tashigi let out of a little whimper and flinched, and Monet stopped again for a moment and almost lost her composure. _Cute..._ she thought, stoically, keeping calm, allowing herself that single mental observation, then nodded and continued. She pushed the glasses the rest of the way until they were fully back in place and let a sigh of relief. Tashigi opened her eyes once it was all finished.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Monet asked.

"Um... Monet...?" Tashigi said.

"What is it?" Monet responded casually, completely confident she had played it cool and that her image as a badass pirate and hostage master was still in tact.

"Your nose is bleeding."

"Ahhh, what!?" Monet shouted, completely breaking, springing up from the bed, bringing a wing up to her nose and feeling the blood, her face turning beat red. "It must be the high altitude!"

"But... don't you live up here all the time?"

"It was just a reflex then! It was a reflexive nosebleed for no good reason!"

Tashigi looked confused. "Are _you _okay?"

"Of course I'm okay! You're the one who's not okay! Now lay back and let me treat the wound on your leg as well! If you don't do what I say, I'll kill you, remember!?"

Monet had allowed herself to become totally flustered and was standing pointing to Tashigi in an accusatory fashion. _Damn marine girl being cute on purpose! _she thought. _I can't believe I got a nosebleed!_

"Fine," Tashigi said, laying back onto the bed and exposing her bare legs. In fact, most of her body was exposed now. She was blushing, and her pretty, taut stomach, and her breasts as well, were rising and falling slowly as she breathed.

Monet took one look at her and another gush of blood shot out of her nose. She quickly grabbed the tissues from the bed and held them up to her face.

Tashigi sat up slightly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Monet said, her voice cracking now, her cool confident demeanor totally breaking, her face completely red. _Ahh what's wrong with me? _she thought. _I'm acting like a dirty old man... and I'm not even into women!_

But the sight of Tashigi in her bra and panties, lying back in bed like that, was... _wow. _Anyone would react to seeing something like that, right? Monet stuffed tissue into both of her nostrils.

"My reflexes are giving me random nosebleeds, so I need to do this," she explained to Tashigi.

Tashigi just looked more confused. "Um... okay..."

Then Monet took the plant salve and crawled onto the bed and positioned herself between Tashigi's legs. Once there, she looked down at Tashigi. With this sort of view, Monet thought she might bleed right through the tissues in her nose. She swallowed hard. She suddenly found herself breathing heavily.

_This little marine girl... _Monet gently rested her wings against Tashi's legs. _Wow, _she thought again. Tashigi's legs were incredibly soft and smooth, and _warm_. Monet had never been this close to human legs before, not in an intimate way like this. They were so _interesting_. Her own legs were rough, sharp talons, made for ripping and tearing. But _these_... Monet was now gently caressing Tashigi_. _So dainty and pretty.

She petted Tashigi, delicately. She let her wings wander all the way down to Tashigi's ankles, and then to her feet, and touched those too. Her feet were somehow even softer than her legs. It was incredible. Monet's nose wasn't bleeding at all, and she wasn't afraid it would anymore, because this didn't feel perverted at all, just very nice and gentle.

The whole room was quiet, it was snowing outside of the window, and this little marine girl was softer than anything Monet could have ever imagined touching. She found that there was a strange, tingling warmth in the pit of her stomach that she'd never felt before. _What's happening to me...?_

"Um..." Tashigi said, raising her head. "What are you doing?"

Monet jumped, startled, snapping back to reality. She realized she'd just been stroking Tashigi's legs and feet in an extremely affectionate way for about the last minute and a half.

"I'm... I'm just looking," she explained. "I'm trying to find your wound."But her face was totally flushed, and she could tell the excuse sounded weak as soon as it came out of her mouth.

"It's right there..." Tashigi said, pointing to the area on her upper thigh where the obvious bite mark was located.

"Right..." Monet closed her eyes and exhaled, then put more of the plant salve onto her wing and prepared to apply it. But she paused before going for it... "Do you want to hold hands again? It's going to hurt."

"Yes," Tashigi answered quickly. Monet extended a wing for Tashigi to grab on to, and they both squeezed tight.

This time Tashigi was prepared for the sort of pain that was coming and didn't scream. She just let out a low moan, gripped Monet's wing hard, and writhed her legs.

"You're doing good," Monet said, rubbing Tashigi's leg with her free wing. "It's almost done."

"I'm fine... it's fine..." Tashigi said, strained, through a wince. Her eyes were tearing up again, but overall she was being much tougher this time, Monet noticed.

And Monet couldn't help but smile. Tashigi actually _was _pretty strong, all things considered. She'd fought well. And she was being brave now, in this too. Maybe she wasn't just a new pet to tease and potentially murder.

No, there was something admirable about this woman. Or was it just her pretty body, and cute demeanor that were hypnotizing Monet now, because they were beginning to satisfy a loneliness, unknown even to herself, that she'd been harboring for too long?

She wasn't entirely sure what it was. But one buried truth had come to the surface and now lived quite explicitly in the forefront of Monet's thoughts: _I didn't kidnap this girl to use her, or to kill her, and all along never had any intention of giving her to Doflamingo, or Cesar, or even negotiating with the marines. I took her for myself. Because I wanted her. _For what purpose, she still didn't know exactly. As a pet? As prey to toy with? As a friend, a companion, a fellow woman of the sea, to quell her lonely feelings? Or just as something cute to perv on a little?

Whatever the purpose, she knew she was quite enjoying this little pirate hostage game, and wanted to continue. This was the most fun she'd had in a while. She hoped Doflamingo would never come. She hoped the marines, the Straw Hat Pirates, Trafalgar Law, Cesar, all of them, would blow each other to smithereens. All of them be damned. She smiled, watching as Tashigi redressed herself. All was fair in this game, on this sea. Anything was up for grabs.


End file.
